Lights In The Sky
by gwebn
Summary: Iceland is known for it's spectacular natural beauty. It's no surprise Emil would like to invite MeiMei to his favorite light show in the sky. (This fic is also on AO3.)


Somewhere, on a flat, grey, shingled rooftop in Iceland, sat a girl with hair as black as licorice and eyes the color of dark mahogany. The air that night was cold and crisp. The girl could see her breath cloud in front of her as she zipped her borrowed jacket up to her chin. She had learned the hard way that fashionable coats, like the one she brought, are fine for cold days in Taiwan but are not exactly best for trips to places that lay just below the arctic circle. She wasn't a fan of the cut and style of the borrowed jacket or how the extra fabric made the curves on her figure disappear... but it had it's redeeming qualities. It was warm and comfortable and smelled pleasantly like the boy she borrowed it from.

"Emil?" She called after him, rubbing her arms to bring some warmth into them. The coat was warmer than her other one but the cold was still getting to her. He said he would only be a minute but she wished he would hurry. She was tired of waiting alone on this roof. "If you don't hurry, you're going to miss the lights."

"No, I'm not." The boy's voice, along with his footsteps creaking on the wooden steps, replied through the open hatch in the roof. "We still have a few more minutes until they're visible."

Mei squinted into the inky night sky. The stars, while bright, clear and breathtaking on their own, weren't the Northern Lights that Emil had promised her tonight. "How would you know?"

"Er-" He said, appearing from the hatch with an arm full of faded blue blanket. "Ever have too much caffeine and get that static-y feel behind your eyes?" She nodded in reply, the look in her eyes asking for more explanation.

"It feels a bit like that when the lights appear, that's how I can tell. I think it's because the auroras are basically just electricity in the atmosphere. The colors change depending on what element electrons bounce off of... or so they told me." He told her, dropping the blanket around her shoulders. The blanket was old and the original navy dye is lighter in some places- Emil had received it years long before he got his independence- but it held up relatively nicely over the years and was still perfectly cozy for nights like this. "I used to think they were magic." He mumbled before sitting beside her.

She scooted closer to him and wrapped him up in the blanket with her, then kissed him on the cheek when his arm found her waist. "That's an interesting skill. I never knew you were so in tune with your land."

"I think we all are to some extent... but that's not the only thing I have." He smiled as she cozied up to him. "I sneeze whenever a volcano erupts."

Mei laughed at that. It's no surprise to her that he'd be in synch with the local volcanic activity. "Do you feel like sneezing now?"

He shook his head. The way she laughed and how her head was rested against his shoulder was almost too cute to bear. Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach and he hoped she couldn't see the pink showing on his face. "No, not right now."

"Good." A volcano erupting would definitely be a mood killer. She sighed contently, squinting at the sky for signs of the lights. "Are they going to start soon?"

"Wait for it." He says, his eyebrows rising a little when he sensed their imminent presence in the air around them. "...three...two..." He counted down, mostly to show off the ability he has had since he was a colony. A few streaks of red light flashed in the atmosphere around them, giving way to the slow green ribbons that began to fill the sky. The landscape in front of them became bathed in the gradual illumination of lime tinted light striped across the horizon and brushstrokes of cerulean wove flawlessly into the shining malachite.

However, Emil wasn't paying much attention the lights. He knew what they looked like, he had seen them shine above him for almost a thousand years. What he was watching, out of the corner of his eye, was Mei. Her body was tense with excitement and her eyes widened in wonder as she watched the breathtaking lights that danced above their heads for the first time.

"They're beautiful." She breathed, not taking her sights off of the natural light show as if she was determined not to miss any of their splendor. "They really do look like they were made by magic."

"I like to think that they are." He mumbles, still watching the colors reflect off of her hair and smile on her face. The light across her features was more captivating to him than the Aurora Borealis themselves. He tried to glance away, thinking she would catch him staring but he's drawn back. Sighing inwardly, he wondered if this is what love was like... Then scolded himself for being cliche.

Eventually, she did catch him watching her (it was a matter of time, really). She had never seen a look like that in those purple eyes. The best way she could describe it is endearing. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks, beaming.

"Er-" He blinks. "Your nose is turning red."

She laughs and touches the tip of his. "So is yours." His eyes cross involuntarily and she giggles a little more.

"That happens." He laughs a little as well. "Ready to go inside yet?"

She shakes her head and snuggles up a little closer. "No, just a little bit longer."

"Alright." Emil agrees with a content sigh, not wanting to go in either. "Just a little longer."


End file.
